CAMPAIGNERS who are hoping to bring Syrian refugees tp Malvern say their cause has been boosted by two conferences they have recently attended.

Ruth Forecast and Julian Roskams of the group were at a Red-Cross-organised event held in Malvern, while on the same day, John Raine and Jane Knowles were delegates at a conference hosted by Coventry City Council.

The Red Cross event, held at Malvern Hills District Council's offices on Avenue Road, was described as the first of its kind in the UK, and brought together council officers from across the West Midlands to learn how local authorities elsewhere had dealt with

refugee resettlement.

Among the speakers were two refugees whose lives had been so transformed by their move to the UK that they now devoted themselves to working full-time with newly arrived refugees.

And a representative from Norfolk County Council said that refugee resettlement not only changed the lives of the refugees, but was a positive and welcome benefit to the local community.

Mrs Forecast said: “I was delighted to be among professionals looking for solutions. We see it as a positive step forward that this event has been held in Malvern. We thank the Red Cross for their initiative, which we believe has gone a long way to prepare Malvern to welcome refugees.”

Coventry City Council is now in its second year of receiving funding through the Government’s Vulnerable Person’s Resettlement scheme, and has accepted 131 Syrian refugees, and is committed to resettling 120 per year for the next five years.

Mrs Knowles said: “Nothing we heard said at the conference suggested itself as being beyond our capability in Malvern, and it was extremely motivating to meet officers and delegates from similarly small councils that were actively engaged with the re-settlement process.

"The Coventry example gives Malvern a realistic and adaptable step-by-step framework to follow where councils and voluntary bodies would work together to offer a place of welcome and safety to these most vulnerable and desperate families."